Teachers for a New Era: Research Project Proposal

Teachers for a New Era University of Virginia

Teaching Assessment Initiative Proposal 4/15/04

The Efficacy of a Religious Studies Major as Preparation for K-12 Teachers

Submitted by Kate F. Wood, Ph.D. Lecturer, General Faculty Cooper Center for Public Service, University of Virginia [email protected], 982-5541

Cynthia Hoehler-Fatton, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Religious Studies, University of Virginia [email protected], 924-6314

1. Problem Statement

Increasing specification of expected learning outcomes for elementary and secondary public school students, as exemplified in the Commonwealth of Virginia by the Standards of Learning, raises questions about the connection between a teacher’s major program of study while in training and their success in teaching students to achieve those specified outcomes. The connection is particularly problematic in the area of religious studies. Because religion is not taught as a subject matter in American public schools, there is no direct connection between the substance of a student’s concentration in college and the material he or she will be teaching in the public school. Still, we understand that the number of religion majors preparing to teach elementary and secondary school is growing at the University of Virginia.

This project is designed to explore the connection between a religious studies major and teacher preparation in two ways: first, to determine teachers’ perception of the efficacy of a religious studies major as preparation for their teaching career and secondly, to chart connections in a qualitative way between the subject matter taught in religious studies courses and Virginia expectations for students. The research we are proposing is a small- scale project that could serve as a pilot study for a larger study of the same problem. The proposed research includes two aspects: a set of personal telephone interviews with recent Curry school graduates who majored in Religious Studies at the University of Virginia, and a content analysis of Religious Studies course syllabi in order to determine their relevance for Virginia Standards of Learning. 2. Related Work

While there is literature relating to state education policies and teacher preparation, a cursory online search of the University of Virginia library reveals nothing specifically related to the question of the efficacy of a religious studies major for K-12 teacher training. A more thorough literature review is part of the research design.

3. Questions/Hypotheses

Specifically, the questions to be addressed in this research project include the following:

Part I: Personal Interviews How useful is a religious studies major in preparation for a teaching career? How satisfied are Curry School graduates who majored in religious studies with the choice of their major? Do they regret their choice of major or have they experienced difficulty in the job market as a result of their choice (i.e. do they feel that the religious studies major has prevented them from getting a job they desired)? What skills do they perceive they developed as a result of the religious studies major that they could apply in their teaching work? Substantively, have they used their religious studies coursework in their teaching?

Part II: Content Analysis What areas of the Virginia Standards of Learning might be directly connected to a Religious Studies major, as it is defined by current Department of Religious Studies requirements? Do syllabi for current Religious Studies courses indicate assignments or readings that might directly prepare university students to prepare K-12 children to take the SOL examinations?

4. Procedures for Collecting Information

Part I: Personal Interviews A semi-structured interview protocol will be developed by Ms. Wood and Ms. Hoehler- Fatton. The protocol will include but not be limited to the questions noted in #3, Part I, above. Curry School records provide the undergraduate major for each graduate. Religious studies majors will be selected for the sample. Using the graduate’s last known address on file with the University registrar, perhaps with some assistance from the University Alumni Association, we anticipate that it will be possible to seek out these majors to recruit them to participate in this study. The number of cases is expected to be quite small and while we do not expect to successfully contact each graduate, it is likely that approximately 15-20 interviews could be conducted by telephone. These interviews would be “informant interviews,” and provide much the same result as a focus group: some interesting information and increased clarity of questions to be addressed in future work. The interviews will be tape-recorded and transcribed.

Part II: Content Analysis Ms. Hoehler-Fatton will collect current syllabi from faculty in the Department of Religious Studies in Virginia, as well as provide departmental policies and requirements for the R.S. major and minor. The Virginia Standards of Learning, as identified by the Virginia Department of Education, are specified on the DOE website. Ms. Wood will develop a schematic for the humanities-related SOL.s and, using content analysis techniques, will compare the Virginia standards with the Religious Studies course material.

5. Analyses

The analytical procedures for both parts will be essentially qualitative. We expect to complete the interview process in the summer of 2004 and the content analysis in the fall of 2004.

6. Expected End Products

The following items will be produced:  A literature review relating the undergraduate study of religion to teacher preparation;  A copy of the interview protocol;  The original tape recordings and transcriptions of interviews with teachers who graduated from the University of Virginia with a Religious Studies major;  A summary of results of the interviews;  A schematic of Virginia SOLs in the humanities;  A report charting connections between religious studies syllabi and Virginia SOLs;  A methodological summary (a more detailed explanation of parts 1-5 of this RFP).

7. Personnel

Kate F. Wood will serve as principal investigator for this project. Her Ph.D. was granted by the UVA Department of Religious Studies. She holds a master’s degree in sociology and has long experience in social research methodology and project management. Her current faculty appointment at UVA is half-time, allowing her to devote time to this project. Cynthia Hoehler-Fatton, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, will serve as co-principal investigator. Ms. Hoehler-Fatton will donate her time to the project. For Part I of the project, Ms. Wood will be primary author of the interview protocol, develop the sample, conduct and record the interviews, arrange the transcription, and analyze the results. For Part II, Ms. Hoehler-Fatton will gather course syllabi from her colleagues in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. Ms. Wood will develop a schematic of Virginia Standards of Learning relating to humanities, analyze the course syllabi, and will summarize the results in a report. Ms. Wood will write the final report for both parts of the project.